During the early 2000s, Matt Damon secured a $1.6B franchise leading role that positioned him as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. However, there were other A-list actors, like Sylvester Stallone, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise running to play Jason Bourne. Unfortunately, by the end, director Doug Liman shrunk down the list of potential actors to simply Pitt and Damon.
Considering the lead character Jason Bourne, although it is unclear how Doug Liman ever chose Sylvester Stallone, the $1.6B loss on Stallone’s end eventually made the actor furious. Humiliated by the refusal, the Rambo actor expressed his grudge during an interview and stated, how Rambo would easily defeat Jason Bourne, in a hypothetical fight.
Matt Damon Surpassed Sylvester Stallone For The Bourne Films
The Bourne franchise adapted from Robert Ludlum’s novels became a sensation and changed the direction of modern action cinema, after releasing its first installment in 2002. Set in the real world of modern espionage, the Bourne films competed with James Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises, giving them a tonal crisis, while taking the shape of a new spy series.
After 14 years of cinematic development of the franchise, it is hard to accept anyone but Matt Damon as the lead. However, it’s a fact that Damon surpassed major A-listers like Sylvester Stallone, despite being a rising star. On the other hand, Stallone was chosen for the film series alongside other major actors like Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise.
However, being a seasoned awards-caliber actor, with his height of popularity and legacy, Sylvester Stallone expected to get the role. But unfortunately, director Doug Liman narrowed the list of actors to Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Although Damon was not the director’s first choice to play the series’ protagonist, he eventually ended up with the role and became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
Sylvester Stallone Failed To Handle A Billion-Dollar Rejection
Following the success of the Bourne film series, which generated over $1.6 billion at the box office and ushered in a new era of action films, Sylvester Stallone pondered his loss over the years. Losing the billion-dollar role as the series’ protagonist, made Stallone infuriated and hold unnecessary grudges.
According to Doug Liman, although Brad Pitt was enticed by the idea of playing the lead Jason Bourne, his packed schedule, unfortunately, forced the actor to reject the role. Thus, eventually when Liman sat with Matt Damon to explain the role, “[Liman] got the sense that [Damon] understood”. Considering how less it took to explain Damon, Liman was impressed by the actor and thus decided to cast him.
However, Sylvester Stallone took the $1.6B loss personally and expressed his grudge via interviews. Years later, after the franchise released three installments of the Bourne films, Stallone argued, how his Rambo character was superior to Bourne. Notably expressing his grudge, the actor stated, “Rambo would eat Bourne for breakfast!”.
Failing to handle the loss and losing his temper over the Bourne franchise, Sylvester Stallone often proposed hypothetical fighting sessions between Rambo and Bourne.